


Arachnid

by Mysterio_88



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Go Easy On Me, Sort Of, Villain-hero romance, this is my first fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-02 10:57:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17262986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterio_88/pseuds/Mysterio_88
Summary: Amber Whyte has only been Arachnid for a few weeks now, fighting Spider-Man and helping the villains.But her biggest challenge may not be Spider-Man.It might just be a nerdy boy on a decathlon team trip.Set at the same time as Spider-Man Homecoming but Liz isn't in it





	1. Arachnid

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so I don't own Spider-Man or Marvel etc.  
> Also, if facts are inaccurate (because I'm lazy lol) Idk tell me I guess I might correct them I don't know...  
> Enjoy!

I yawned and got up. First day of school. Again. New school. New foster mom. I could do this.

Besides, I wasn’t just some normal kid.

I was _Arachnid_. I was a bloody superhero! I got dressed (leather jacket, jeans, Nirvana tee, boots) and did my makeup (blush, red lip-gloss, faint eye-shadow). I grabbed my bag. Dana, my foster mom, was working an early shift so she wasn’t able to drive me to school. She had left a note.

_Hey Amber,_

_Really sorry I couldn’t be here for your first day! Things are crazy at work – you know how it gets sometimes. Good luck! I’ll be back home around seven pm. Make yourself some dinner if you get hungry when you get home._

_XX Dana_

I threw some toast in the toaster and scrolled through my phone. Arachnid sightings, Spider-Man did a thing, Donald Trump has done some more talking, yada yada. Nothing unusual. I ate my toast and grabbed my stuff. I had my suit in a special pocket of my bag. I put it on. I was still pretty happy with it. It looked quite like Spider-Man’s suit, but in white with overlapping black webs on it, and there was a huge hood. The spider emblem was on my chest and back. I had a belt (which I had a knife tucked into) and there was a back pocket. I had made it a while ago, just after I had gotten used to my powers. And after… The Thing, I guess. I had created a sticky web-thing in the chem lab of my last school, and I had tiny web-shooters loaded up with it. The suit was practical, homemade, low-tech and comfortable. I loved it.

I jumped out of the window and swung to school. I dropped into an alley and got changed near the school, and then walked into school like I hadn’t just swung at high-speed halfway across Manhattan to get to Midtown High.

I got to my first class without a hitch, and sat down next to a brown-haired boy with brown eyes.

As soon as I sat down, a sharp screech played right in my ear. I winced. It happened again. It was coming from… the brown-haired boy. I looked at him, and saw him wince. He glanced at me, frowning.

 I half-listened to the teacher, thinking about the weird screeching noise and the boy, twirling my pen in my hand.

‘Amber, do you know the answer?’

I jumped. The pen slipped. Without looking, the boy next to me caught it before it hit the ground and threw it one-handed into my open pencil-case. I blinked and looked at the board.

‘Um… Eight negative two?’

‘Correct,’ sighed the teacher. I glanced at the boy next to me. He had caught the pen in a split-second without even looking at it!

Class dragged by but the rest of the day went by in a blur, and before long I was standing in my room, suiting up. I jumped out of the window and swung away, looking for some crime. Before long, I stumbled upon two robbers. Perfect. Petty crime.

‘Shit, man, move it!’ one yelled as soon as they saw me.

‘I’m not Spider-Man,’ I said.

‘Who are you?’

‘I’m Arachnid. I’m on your side,’ I held up my hands in surrender.

‘What d’you mean, you’re on our side?’ asked one of the robbers.

‘I mean, you should run because I’m going to distract Spider-Man for you,’ I said calmly, hearing the _thwip_ of another person’s web-shooters behind me.

The robbers sprinted off. Spider-Man swung in towards them, not noticing me.

‘Hey! Put that stuff back!’ shouted Spider-Man. I angled myself right and webbed him to a wall, his wrists out by his sides and his ankles bound together.

‘Arachnid,’ snapped Spider-Man.

‘Spider-Man,’ I said coolly.

‘Why are you on their side?’ asked Spider-Man.

‘Because they’re on the right side.’

‘They’re doing bad things.’

‘And so are the Avengers.’

‘What?’

‘All I mean is…’ I took a deep breath. ‘Not everyone wearing a suit is a do-gooder like you, Spider-Man.’

And with that, I swung away.

If there was one thing I hated about being “the bad guy”, it was Spider-Man. Ugh. He was trying to be so _good_. But he was working for the wrong people.  

I shook my head to clear it and got home.

 

The next day after school, I went to the yearbook office to sign up. They needed photographers and I had loved photography for years. My camera was the one possession that I brought with me from foster home to foster home. It was my one special thing. I knocked on the office door. Someone called, ‘It’s open!’

I walked into a cosy scene. There were about six kids in total. One girl, a tall girl with long braids, was handing out plastic Starbucks cups with different drinks.

‘And an iced tea for you, Jonah,’ she handed out the last drink and turned to me. ‘Hey, what’s up?’

‘Um… I’m new and I was wondering where I go to sign up for the yearbook photography?’ I said. The girl’s face lit up.

‘Oh, great! We’re always looking for new members. Here,’ she handed me a clipboard. ‘Just write your name down.’

I did as she told me and handed it back.

‘Nice to have you on the team, uh,’ she read the clipboard. ‘Amber Whyte. I’m Caitlyn, by the way.’

She introduced me to the others: Jonah, a tall, dark-skinned guy, Olivia, a pale redhead, Myrtle, a bespectacled girl with frizzy hair, and Henry, Olivia’s twin brother who looked basically like a male Olivia. The others found a chair for me and I sat down.

‘We were just about to start,’ said Caitlyn. ‘Also, do you have, like, a specific Starbucks order? We have a pretty great photography budget and we splurge it on Starbucks most of the time.’

‘Oh, um, just a mocha is great, thanks,’ I stuttered.

‘Okay, let’s get going,’ Caitlyn pulled out a notebook. ‘So, we need some more sports pics. Jonah, take hockey, Olivia, take the football team, will you? We need some photos from the upcoming matches. Myrtle, you can do the pep rallies, right? Henry, the cheer squad.’

Henry pumped his fist and said, ‘Yes!’

‘Um… We also need someone on the creative writing club. I’ll take that one, and Amber, can you see if you can go on the Washington trip with the decathlon team?’ Caitlyn looked up, scribbling notes furiously.

I jumped. ‘Oh, um, I’ll ask my mom,’ I said. Caitlyn scribbled me a note.

‘Great. I’ll talk to Mr. Harrington, see if we can work it out.’

The rest of the meeting was spent combing through the recent photos taken over the past week. Henry had a really cool shot of the art group, working on a group painting, and Myrtle had found a cool photo of one of the swim team members diving into the water. They were the only two who made it into the final folder, a huge file in Caitlyn’s bag where she kept the first group of photos to go in the final yearbook. It was October, so there were already quite a few photos in the file.

‘Oh, yeah, Amber, before you go, can we have your number?’ asked Caitlyn, as we were packing up at the end. ‘We have a group chat going on, so….’

I gave it to her and left, bidding the others goodbye. When I got home, Dana was sitting at the counter working on her laptop.

‘Hey, Dana,’ I dropped my bag.

‘Hey, Amber!’ said Dana, looking up. ‘How was school?’

‘It was great!’ I said. ‘I went to the yearbook office like I said I would.’

‘And?’

‘It went really well! Everyone’s really nice!’ I sat down and unpacked my homework stuff. ‘Also… Can I go on the academic decathlon trip to Washington in two weeks? It’s kind of last minute, but I was asked to photograph them, and it’s not for too long, and…’

‘Amber, Amber,’ Dana laughed. ‘It’s okay! Yes, you can go on the trip. Do I have to pay for anything?’

‘Thank you so much!’ I hugged her, then grabbed my phone to check the yearbook group chat, which I had been added to. Caitlyn had sent the details. I showed Dana the prices. Caitlyn signed a permission slip and I was all set.

I was going to Washington.

The trip rolled around pretty quickly. I spent most of my time hanging out with the yearbook team or studying.

It was the last night before the Washington trip, and I was packing. I picked up my phone and scrolled through the yearbook group chat.

**Olivia: You have to tell her.**

**Henry: No way in hell.**

**Myrtle: Come on, man!**

**Amber: Hey, guys, what’s up?**

There was a pause in the conversation.

**Amber: Guys?**

**Henry: Hey!**

**Henry: Um…**

**Henry: So, I was wondering**

**Henry: Are you busy after you get back from the trip?**

**Amber: No…**

**Henry: Do you want to…**

**Henry: Like…. Grab something to eat maybe? With me?**

**Amber: Like a date?**

**Henry: Yeah like a date.**

**Amber: Then…**

**Amber: Um….**

**Amber: Sure!**

**Henry: Awesome! Um… Next Saturday work?**

**Amber: Yeah! Uh… Shall we say seven pm?**

**Henry: yeah, that works! See you then!**

**Henry has gone offline**

**Olivia: Oh my GOD yes finally**

**Myrtle: Wow**

**Jonah: That was amazing**

**Caitlyn: Agreed**

**Amber: I gotta go pack ttyl**

**Amber has gone offline**

I finished packing and thought about my date with Henry. It would just be a friendly thing, right? Nothing serious.

The next morning, I got up and grabbed all my stuff. I took the subway to school and got onto the bus. The brown-haired boy who sat next to me in most of my classes was sitting next to... Was it Ned? I forgot his name. The boy's head shot up as soon as I boarded the bus. I felt the familiar screeching noise I got in my head whenever the brunet was around. I gritted my teeth at the noise.

'Hey, you're not on the decathlon team,' said Flash lazily to me. 

'And neither are you, Flash,' I said. 'Sorry. I'm on yearbook. They told me to come and photograph the trip.'

Ned and the other guy waved at me. 

'Hey, um, Amber!' said mystery guy. 'You wanna sit with us?'

'Uh, sure!' I sat down. The duo had seats at the back, so there was plenty of room. Mystery guy held out a hand to shake. 

'I'm Peter, by the way,' said Peter. 'This is Ned.' 

I did get his name right! We greeted each other. Ned introduced me to the rest of the decathlon team and we sat down for the bus journey. Somehow, I was hyper-aware of Peter's arm brushing mine, and I don't think it was just the heightened senses.

After a while of chatting, I settled with my earbuds in and continued the story I was writing in my notebook. I felt a weight on my shoulder and turned.

Peter had fallen asleep on my shoulder.

It was gonna be a long ride.


	2. Washington

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Um... Enjoy this chapter, I guess. I'm not really sure where I'm gonna go with this but I think it'll go OK....  
> Enjoy!

'So... You and Peter?' asked Ned. I choked on my sandwich. 

'What?' I stammered. 'I - I mean- P-Peter... Me... No?'

Peter had gone to the bathroom. I had been hanging around in Peter and Ned's room with MJ. MJ snorted at my response.

'Crush?' she said nonchalantly. 

'I- um- well- maybe- No? Yes? Maybe?'

Ned snorted just as Peter came back in. 

'Hey, what's so funny?' he asked, sitting down next to me. 

'Nothing,' said MJ. 

'So, did you see the footage of Spider-Man the other night?' I said, changing the subject. 

'With Arachnid?' asked Peter.

'How do you know her name?' I asked. 

'How do you know she's a she?' asked MJ.

'She's definitely a girl,' said Peter.

'How do you know?'

Peter blushed. 'I... Um... I read an online article. Someone heard the conversation between them.'

'I wonder where she got the suit,' said Ned. 'It can't be from Stark if she's helping the villains, right?' 

'Fair point,' frowned MJ. 

'It must be homemade,' I said. 

'Arachnid must be good at sewing,' said Peter.

'I'll say,' said MJ.

'But, like, why is she helping criminals?' Peter said, looking bewildered at the mere thought of it. 

'Maybe she doesn't view the criminals as criminals,' said MJ. 'Maybe she isn't on the side of the criminals, just on a different side to the Avengers and Spider-Man.' 

I gaped at MJ. Peter looked utterly confused. 

'I don't get it,' said Ned.

'So, like, maybe Arachnid isn't backing up the criminals,' I put in. 'Maybe she just doesn't want to help the so-called "good guys".' 

'But then surely she wouldn't weigh in on, like, robberies?' asked Peter. Before I could respond, Flash poked his head in through the door. 

'Hey, losers, we're going swimming, are you coming or not?' asked Flash. 

'I'll go,' I said. 

'Sure,' said Ned. 

'Alright,' said MJ. 

'I'm in,' said Peter. 

We got changed and headed down to the pool, carrying our towels. We ditched the towels by the edge of the pool and splashed around for a while. After a while, people started to get out. I sat at the edge of the pool, towel round my shoulders. The others were sitting there too. 

'Let's play Truth Or Dare,' said Flash. 'I'll go first. Amber, truth or dare?'

'Um... dare,' I said. 

'Kiss the guy you like,' said Flash. 'On the mouth.' 

I flushed, but played it off with an eye roll. 'You have to be kidding me. Besides, who says it's a guy?' 

'You coming out to us, Amber?' asked MJ.

'No,' I said. 'Still straight, but I pick truth.'

'Too late,' jeered Flash. 'You picked dare.'

'Fair enough,' Peter shrugged. 

I took a deep breath...

And kissed Peter Parker on the mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a short chapter, but... Hope you like it anyway? Idk I'm horrible at A/Ns.


	3. Aftermath

I sprinted along the rooftop, my heart pounding. My legs burned but I had to keep going. The fire was only a few blocks away. I leapt off the edge of the building and shot a web, swinging with ease. I swung from building to building until I finally reached the fire. I swung inside and ran from room to room, following the shouts I could hear. I slammed the door open to a bedroom. 

An eight-year-old girl was sitting in her bed, the duvet over her nose. She looked terrified. I picked her up. 

'Hey, hey, hey, it's okay,' I murmured, opening a window. 'I'm getting you out, okay? You're safe.' 

I deposited the girl on the ground and went back in. In the living room, I ran into a familiar figure. 

'Arachnid,' said Spider-Man.

'I'm not here to fight you,' I said. 'I'm helping people. Just like you are.' 

Spider-Man's hands curled into fists. I checked all the other rooms, got the pet dog out of the building and touched down on the ground. Washington was a trickier city than New York. It felt unfamiliar and disorganized, and I was lost.

'Um, Spider-Man?' I called to his retreating figure. He stopped and turned to look at me. 'I don't know my way around. Can you help me?' 

'Where are you heading?' sighed Spider-Man. I gave him the hotel name. He looked taken aback. 'That's where I'm going too,' he said. 

'What are you even doing in Washington?' I asked. 

'School trip,' he said. 

'Me too,' I frowned at him.

'Weird,' he said. 'Just... Follow me to the hotel, I guess.' 

He set off and I followed him back to the hotel. We parted ways. I went to my room and took off the suit. I grabbed my phone and opened Instagram. Flash had posted a photo. 

Me kissing Peter.

My breath caught in my throat. 

Immediately after the kiss, I had murmured an excuse and left. When I was in the bathroom (contemplating what an idiot I was), my Spider-sense had kicked in big time. I had suited up and vanished. 

I wondered how Peter felt. Was he happy? Sad? Did he feel the same way?

MJ opened the door to the hotel room and walked in, wrapped in a towel.

'Where were you?' she asked nonchalantly. 

'Felt sick,' I said. 

'Oh.' 

We sat in silence. 

'Did he say anything?' I asked. 'After the kiss?' 

MJ bit her lip. 'He looked shocked and muttered something. He then, um, winced like he had a headache and sprinted off.' 

'Did he come back?'

'Yeah,' said MJ. 'He apologised for vanishing and then said that... He didn't think you had a crush on him and he wants to just be friends.'


	4. Chapter 4

I swallowed. 'Great,' I said. MJ opened her mouth. My phone buzzed. I picked it up. 'Spider-Man sighting,' it said. 'Why is Spider-Man in Washington? And did Arachnid follow him?' I showed MJ.

'Check this out,' I said. 

'Huh,' said MJ. I clicked on the link. A video played. 

'We got their conversation!' said a guy. 'We used a long-distance mike and we got their conversation!' 

An audio clip played, badly synced with grainy phone footage. 

'Why are you in Washington?'

'School trip. You?'

'Uh... Same.' 

'That's right! Queen's vigilantes are... high school students!' 

The video cut off. I was pale. 

'You're Arachnid, right?' asked MJ. I froze. 

'What- uh... I mean.. .What makes you think that?' 

'The suit in your luggage,' said MJ. 'I saw it when you left your case on the bed.'

'Shit,' I said. 'So, um... Ta-da?' 

'Did you really make that suit?' asked MJ. 'It's really impressive.' 

'I-' I stopped, hearing whispering outside the door. The screeching played in my ear again. My Spider-sense. It always played up whenever Peter was around. I figured it was just because of my crush on him or something. 

'Peter, Ned, come in,' I said. I opened the door. They tumbled in. 'How much did you hear?' 

'We know that you're... um.. Arachnid,' muttered Ned. Peter's face was frozen into an expression of perfect horror. 

Joy.

'I do have a- um a logical, um, explanation for, uh, helping... Villains and such,' I said. 

'What is it?' asked Ned, sitting down on the bed. Peter hadn't moved from beside the door. 

'You guys know that I have a foster mom, right?' 

They nodded. 

'My parents are dead,' I said. 'Because the Avengers killed them.' 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character development!   
> Also, now Spider-Man knows Arachnid's identity - but he can't take her in without revealing his identity!


	5. Peter's POV

'Did you kill Amber Whyte's parents?' I demanded, slamming my bag onto the desk. Mr. Stark froze. 

'Amber Whyte?' asked Tony, frowning. 'How do you know Amber Whyte?' 

'Friend of mine,' I said dismissively. 'Did you kill her parents or not?' 

'Okay, first, what you have to understand is...' 

'I knew it!' I exclaimed. 'You're - you're a murderer!' 

'Kid!' said Tony. 'If Amber Whyte's parents had lived, the world would be a lot worse of a place.' 

I stopped. 'What do you mean?' 

'Reneé Rivers was an old friend of mine. She was classy, cool, and so, so clever. And then one day, she met Kevin. It all spiraled from there, underoos. That's all you need to know.'

'What?' 

'Kevin was a bad guy. Drug dealer, thief, just a real all-rounder. So I take him down, okay? And he says that I can't arrest him. And I'm like, why not. So he pulls a gun on his heavily pregnant wife, and said that if I move, she dies.'

I froze, trying to imagine what I would do in that situation.

'So I did the only logical thing - tried to shoot the gun out of his hands.' 

'What?' 

'I missed,' said Tony. 'I shot Kevin. Reneé screamed, grabbed the gun and shot at me. I dodged and left - after all, Reneé hadn't done anything bad. That was when Reneé became a criminal. Even after Amber was born, Reneé would take her on heists, endagering both Amber's life and her own. We fought one day. She shot at me, I shot at her... Her shot missed and mine didn't. That's all there was to it.' 

I gaped at him. 

'Now how the hell did you knew about Amber's parents?' snapped Tony. 

'I, um, she said the Avengers killed her parents.' 

'Fuck,' said Tony. 'Text her, okay? Tell her Mr. Tony Stark had no choice in killing her parents and that that is a direct quote from him.' 

'I can't,' I said. 'She doesn't know I'm Spider-Man.' 

'She doesn't? You should tell her.' 

'Why?' 

'All the ladies love a superhero. Okay, underoos, go home. It's getting late.' 


End file.
